Battlers Tavern owner Robert Biggs, 58, is accused of unleashing a volley of punches on a chef at the Bakery Hill hotel, leaving him with a small depressed skull fracture. 

Crown prosecutor Raelene Maxwell on Thursday told Ballarat Magistrates Court Biggs confronted the victim over a debt in September 2014 after believing the victim had been leasing the hotel’s kitchen from him.  The victim, noticing Biggs’ agitated state, left the hotel and went back to a Wendouree property where he was staying with a friend. 

The court heard the victim’s friend had organised to meet Biggs on September 6 after repeated phone calls from the accused. 

Ms Maxwell alleged that after seeing the victim through a locked screen door, Biggs broke the door, grabbed the victim from inside the house and began punching him in the head as he lay, curled up protecting himself, on the front lawn.

Biggs is then alleged to have said “I’m going to kill you (expletive)”, as he was striking the victim. 

The court heard Biggs, as he was leaving the Wendouree property, allegedly apologised to the victim’s friend, whose screen door he is accused of breaking.

“I’m sorry love, I’ll get someone to fix the door,” Biggs is alleged to have said. 

The court heard the victim was left with a small depressed fracture of the skull and bruising to the chest, face and abdomen. 

Biggs, charged with recklessly causing injury, making threats to kill and criminal damage, appeared agitated throughout the hearing and later told the court: “I’m sick of this. If I go to jail for this it’s a joke.”

Magistrate Michelle Hodgson adjourned the matters to May 5.